1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of providing content over a network, and specifically in one embodiment to the configuration, delivery and recording of content via a cable television network.
2. Description of Related Technology
Cable system and other content network operators have historically been at somewhat of a competitive disadvantage to retail and rental outlets for the delivery of certain content (such as new release movie titles) due to the latency inherent in the distribution of such content over cable as compared to these other distribution channels. New release DVDs will typically be available in the rental or retail stores such as Blockbuster® or NetFlix® well in advance of the availability of the same title on a VOD or similar service. This difference in distribution timing and availability is caused in part by the lack of any effective means for distributing the desired content to cable users in a hard (e.g., disc or other tangible media) form. Rather, under the prior art, such users must make use of third party rental or retail outlets if they desire to obtain a physical copy of the content (such as for unlimited personal use).
When content is newly created value related to its release is carefully controlled through various distribution channels in an effort to maximize revenue return for the content owner. For example, a new major motion picture is released through various distribution channels according to availability windows. A typical sequence of such availability windows might be: (1) three months in commercial theater release; (2) subsequent one month release for commercial airline viewing; (3) subsequent two month release for DVD/VCR retail and rental; (4) subsequent 2 month release in cable Video-On-Demand (VOD) or cable and satellite Pay-Per-View (PPV); (5) subsequent two month release for premium cable or satellite channel distribution (e.g., HBO, Showtime, etc.); and (6) subsequent release for non-premium channel broadcast (e.g., NBC, TBS, etc.). Distribution networks such as cable operators have sought to increase the value of distribution of such content through their networks by obtaining rights to earlier windows of availability, thereby increasing potential interest by cable subscribers and buy rates of content through VOD or PPV purchases. In particular, cable operators have sought availability of major motion picture releases through VOD and PPV on the same “day and date” terms as rental or purchase through retail outlets. However, conventional business models dictate that only after the rental and retail markets have at least partly saturated can the “new” release be distributed via cable or satellite.
One possible approach for cable system operators to overcome this competitive disadvantage is to offer to sell and ship a DVD or similar medium with the purchase of a viewing opportunity (e.g., on-demand movie purchase). Hence, if a subscriber wanted to purchase the content, they could be provided with this opportunity concurrent with viewing, or via a similar mechanism. Such an approach creates a certain billing and fulfillment requirements where the service provider may be required to use one or more third party providers (e.g., an on-line entity such as Amazon.com) to process the transaction, fill the order, and/or deliver the requested medium. Furthermore, if the DVD is to be shipped ground or some other reasonably inexpensive shipping option (which would be mandated in order to keep the costs competitive with other modalities), a protracted and potentially unpredictable delivery period may occur, thereby significantly reducing customer satisfaction. Such protracted or unpredictable period may also increase the user's propensity to return the merchandise, since they now have more time to consider the merits of the purchase. Stated simply, the more “impulsive” the opportunity for commerce (especially at a comparatively low price point), the smaller the likelihood of a return or cancellation of that purchase. Under the foregoing approach, the cable service provider would also have to pay the third party for providing the required billing and/or shipping services.
Recent advances in cable network and consumer premises equipment (CPE) technology have enabled a greater capability in terms of providing cable system and other network subscribers with both high-quality video and high-speed data download that is responsive to their personal needs.
Specifically, the advent of video-on-demand (VOD) technology has greatly increased the ability of a subscriber to utilize certain content (e.g., watch a movie) delivered over their cable system on their schedule. In a typical configuration, the VOD service makes available to its users a selection of multiple video programs that they can choose from and watch over a network connection with minimum setup delay. At a high level, a VOD system consists of one or more VOD servers that pass and/or store the relevant content; one or more network connections that are used for program selection and program delivery; and CPE to receive, decode and present the video on a display unit. The content is typically distributed to the CPE over a Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network.
Depending on the type of content made available and rate structure for viewing, a particular VOD service could be called “subscription video-on-demand (SVOD)” that gives customers on-demand access to the content for a flat monthly fee, “free video-on-demand (FVOD)” that gives customers free on-demand access to some content, “movies on-demand” where VOD content consists of movies only, and so forth. Many of these services, although referred to by names different than VOD, still share many of the same basic attributes including storage, network and decoder technologies.
Just as different varieties of VOD service offerings have evolved over time, several different network architectures have also evolved for deploying these services. These architectures range from fully centralized (e.g., VOD servers at a central location) to fully distributed (e.g., multiple copies of content distributed on VOD servers very close to customer premises), as well as various other network architectures there between. Since most cable television networks today consist of optical fiber towards the “core” of the network which are connected to coaxial cable networks towards the “edge”, VOD transmission network architectures also consist of a mixture of optical fiber and coaxial cable portions.
The CPE for VOD often consists of a digital cable set-top box (DSTB) that provides the functions of receiving cable signals by tuning to the appropriate RF channel, processing the received signal and outputting VOD signals for viewing on a display unit. Such a digital set-top box also typically hosts a VOD application that enables user interaction for navigation and selection of VOD menu.
While the architectural details of how video is transported in the core HFC network can be different for each VOD deployment, each generally will have a transition point where the video signals are modulated, upconverted to the appropriate RF channel and sent over the coaxial segment(s) of the network. Depending on the topology of the individual cable plant, this could be performed at a node, hub or a headend. The coaxial cable portion of the network is variously referred to as the “access network” or “edge network” or “last mile network.”
Similar to VOD technology, personal video recorder (PVR) functions allow the user a great degree of control over the playback and viewing of their selected content. The user can pause, fast-forward, rewind, and perform similar functions all via a unitary remote control or similar device.
However, despite their great utility, all such on-demand and PVR systems are inherently dependent on the network from the standpoint that the content is streamed from the head-end or other network node (e.g., distributed VOD server) to the subscriber's premises, and hence the subscriber must necessarily transmit commands back to the network in order to enable and utilize these functions. In contrast, the use of “hard” media such as the pre-recorded DVD allows the user the same benefits (i.e., on-demand viewing, and PVR functions), yet with no tethering to the head-end or cable network at large. As previously discussed, the most salient downside to the use of hard media is the time and effort associated with obtaining it (whether by rental or purchase), and returning it (rental only), while the most salient deficiency with VOD or similar cable distribution paradigms is the latency of the availability of new content.
Hence, it would be ideal to be able to have all of the benefits of the hard media, including: (i) the ability to impose limitations on reproduction, and provide for copyright protection/enforcement; (ii) the ability to use it an unlimited number of times for personal use (so-called “time shifting”), and (iii) transportability to other locations and media (“space shifting”), yet without the associated investments in time and effort in order to obtain the hard media in the first place, and also without the aforementioned content latency.
It would also be desirable for the subscriber or user to be able to preview the content before having to make a purchase decision, thereby allowing them to purchase only content they truly want to own. Under the rental paradigm, the user must first rent the DVD (whether by going to a rental store or via mail), view it, and then make some additional arrangement to return the rented copy and then purchase a separate (new) copy retail. Under the retail paradigm, the user must have some foreknowledge of the content and hence form their purchase decision based on another source (such as a good review from a friend or a critic).
Very recent developments in optical recording technology (specifically the density of data that can be recorded onto a single DVD or similar media) such as so-called “dual-layer” recording processes have also made consumer-based or “home” recording of lengthy content such as full-length movies onto a single recording medium viable.
Similarly, the advent of high-speed data download capability over existing cable (or satellite) infrastructure, including the VOD architectures previously described, has made the download of very large content files and associated data structures viable.
A variety of approaches to content distribution and utilization within the consumer premises are evidenced in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,401 to Oren, et al. issued May 29, 2001 entitled “System and method for movie transaction processing” discloses a system and method for tracking and processing transactions for such purposes as creating billing record and detecting possible fraudulent activities. The system and method relates to processing transactions associated with viewing movies, e.g. a video content distributed digitally on a digital video disc (DVD) in an scrambled format, where the video content is only viewable in conjunction with the use of a specially designed and enabled player. This method of distributing and billing movie content provides an alternative to current methods such as viewing via video tapes, open format DVDs, pay-per-view, or cable service. The system and method permits a user to establish, via a single authorization, multiple access to a service during a period of time, where each event of access is not individually billed. The system and method does not create a billable charge for a user authorization if the user does not actually access the service. Furthermore, the system and method requires a user to initiate a new authorization after the original authorization has expired, in order to re-access the service. Additionally, the system and method provides one or a plurality of devices local to the user, electronically linked to a remote host, in order to create, store and transmit records of authorization and access to a remote central processor.
United States Patent Publication No. 20020104019 to Chatani, et al. published Aug. 1, 2002 entitled “Method and system for securely distributing computer software products” discloses a product distribution and payment system for limited use or otherwise restricted digital software products. Digital content data comprising a software product to be rented is made available to customers through a detachable local storage medium, such as a DVD or CD-ROM disc, or over a network connection. The product digital content is capable of being accessed and played back through a computer or game console at the customer site. The software product may comprise a limited use product that is restricted in the number of plays or duration of use. The customer is allowed to download and purchase the product using his computer or playback console. The product purchase information is encoded and transmitted to the content distributor. When the preset time or number of plays has elapsed the software program is frozen and access to the program is not allowed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a two-way, public key/private key encryption system is implemented to transmit the product and usage information between the server providing the software product and the customer computer system.
United States Patent Publication No. 20030037335 to Gatto, et al. published Feb. 20, 2003 entitled “Interactive television devices and systems” discloses an interactive TV device configured to receive and process multiple broadband input streams. The device includes functionality to perform as a Web browser, HF, cable and satellite TV receiver, a digital PVR, an interactive TV set-top box, a central processing unit and a videoconferencing device, and an integrated videoconferencing camera. The interactive TV device is configured to manage all multimedia sources similarly, whether the input is a TV channel, a Web page, or a video stream played back from a data carrier such as a DVD, for example. The device is also configured to enable a user to watch and record a plurality of video streams simultaneously and to display them on four independently manageable quarter screen segments.
United States Patent Publication No. 20030049021 to Kamieniecki, published Mar. 13, 2003 and entitled “Apparatus for monitoring of DVD/CD usage and targeted DVD/CD sales utilizing a set top with DVD/CD capability” discloses a subscriber is provided with a combination set-top and DVD/CD player. When the subscriber loads and plays a DVD/CD player, the set top obtains and stores data relating to the DVD/CD being played. This data, accumulated over time, creates a subscriber profile. A head-end periodically acquires the stored profile data, compares it with a large DVD/CD database to develop a list of DVDs/CDs whose genre/artists are related to the profile. This list is transmitted to the subscriber's set-top to provide suggested titles/artists to the subscriber for possible purchase. Purchase data of the user are employed to create and store a purchase profile at the head-end. The ordered DVDs/CDs are sent by mail and are billed together with an invoice for other cable services The set-top may be provided with a decrypter and writeable DVD/CD drive to receive and record encrypted premium content from the head-end, avoiding the need to ship DVDs/CDs and the attendant costs.
A number of commercial products provides ostensibly “new” content to the user, yet do not provide the ability to record a hard media. For example, The ABC/Disney MovieBeam system receiver comes with a predetermined number (i.e., 100) movies already stored inside. Each week, up to 10 movies are replaced with new movies, thereby making this approach somewhat similar to the Netflix approach of a “rolling” population of available content. Similarly, Seachange provides a consumer product that gives a DVD-like experience; however, this is run from the network head-end, and is not downloaded to the set top.
While some of the foregoing approaches provide hard media to a user or subscriber, none of the foregoing solutions provide for timely high-speed delivery of very large data files via a secure network, or high-density recording of content once the content is delivered. Furthermore, none of the foregoing solutions add the capability for digital rights management and control as part of the distribution and recording process, including especially tying the viewing and purchase decisions together to form a cohesive and controllable business model that does not detract from the value the content owner extracts from the retail and rental distribution channels.
Hence, there is a salient need for improved distribution apparatus and methods which allow a cable subscriber or other network user to obtain a tangible copy of their desired content in a prompt and effortless manner, using extant network infrastructure (e.g., VOD infrastructure and interfaces) and with the option of implementing digital rights management data or other content protection mechanisms. Such apparatus and methods would also optionally tie the creation of the tangible copy to the viewing of the content, thereby providing content creators and distributors with a viable business model which would not usurp rental and retail profits.